Delhi: These 3 private hospitals to reserve beds for monkeypox cases

The three hospitals - MD City Hospital, Batra Hospital and Kailash Deepak Hospital - will reserve 10 beds each (five for confirmed and five for suspected cases) to manage the isolation of monkeypox cases.

The Delhi government on Tuesday identified three private hospitals where monkeypox isolation wards will be created for confirmed and suspected cases. The three hospitals - MD City Hospital, Batra Hospital and Kailash Deepak Hospital - will reserve 10 beds each (five for confirmed and five for suspected cases) to manage the isolation of monkeypox cases.

India's monkeypox tally has now climbed to eight.(Reuters file photo. Representative image)

The government's move comes as the national capital reported its third monkeypox case on Tuesday. India's monkeypox tally has now climbed to eight.

The patient, a 31-year-old Nigerian, who was hospitalised at the Lok Nayak Hospital, tested positive for the virus on Tuesday, the Union health ministry told HT. The patient did not have any history of foreign travel.

On Monday, another Nigerian national aged 35 who also did not have any foreign travel history, was found to be infected with monkeypox. The first case of monkeypox in the national capital was a 34-year-old man, a resident of West Delhi with no history of foreign travel.

Of India's cumulative count, Kerala has reported five monkeypox cases so far. The latest case in the state is a 30-year-old man who came back from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last month.

Kerala health minister Veena George said on Tuesday the patient's condition is stable, adding those who were in close contact with him, including his parents, were being closely monitored.

Kerala also reported the first death from monkeypox in India as the state government confirmed that a 22-year-old man, who died on July 30, tested positive for the virus.

(With inputs from Soumya Pillai)